We started the year having Instagram leading the chart as the fastest growing social network, having gone from 600 million to 800 million active users in one year. That’s even before considering the rapidly rising use of Instagram Stories, with more than 300 million daily active users. That deserves a moment of WoW! Now, taking all of this into consideration, it is not surprising that Instagram keeps changing their algorithm in an effort to capitalize all the rich content and data generated in such a short period of time. So, hang in there my fellow entrepreneur.

In my previous article, I shared how to increase engagement and visibility leveraging the power of Boost Groups. Today, after receiving lots of feedback from clients, readers and my social media community, I am sharing with you six tips to help optimize our Instagram presence, and ensure we make the most of our opportunities on the platform:

1. Write Engaging Content

To achieve this we have to document our day. What do I mean by this? Well, we have to switch our mindset from “How do I engage people?” “I can’t think of anything to post” or “I don’t have anything to say;” to “Let me share what happened today at work” or “I am going to post a selfie with this client/prospect/co-worker or with my favorite snack/drink.”

Think about this. Instagram is the human face of our business. Instagram is not the place to be advertising products and services, not explicitly at least. So with Instagram’s latest algorithm change, our best call is to connect and engage with our audience on a personal level. This could be considered the number one priority when it comes to Instagram best practices.

Moreover, we can take the extra mile to engage with our followers by asking questions in our captions that people will be eager to answer. A good way to do it is using polls in our Stories to get people to cast their vote. We could also do giveaways and hold contests to get followers excited. Also asking them to tag their friends to increase our brand awareness.

Here are some questions we can ask ourselves to help us create content:

“Has someone in the office had a birthday?” We could post a photo or video of them blowing out the candles with a birthday wish in the caption.

“Have any of my clients achieved a milestone?” We could send a pic of a virtual gift, a funny GIF, flowers or anything they like and tag them with a nice caption.

“Positive feedback from our clients” We could take a client selfie, or all of us having a celebratory lunch.

“Does our staff work hard?” We could post a group picture and tag everyone in the caption to highlight who they are and what they do.

2. Visual Composition and Consistency Remains Key

Instagram is a visual channel, which means it is extremely important to consider the composition of our images, and our visual consistency when posting. For this reason, it is a must to have a clear visual strategy “to stand out”. So much so, that the quality of our content in addition to the frequency of our posting dynamics is key to boost our Instagram performance.

In order to achieve this, we need to first find out our niche’s image composition best practices. We have to do some research! Looking into hashtags feeds will help a great deal. Then, we need to examine which types of layouts and formats work best within our target audience.Always remembering that we need to have a consistent theme: using the same visual style for content to stand out, seeking a consistency in colors, filters, and text overlays. Good examples are Oreo’s and Letasobierajski’s Instagram presence—their visuals have a clear style that can easily be identified, which helps them stand out in user feeds.

3. Effective Hashtag Use

There is no doubt now that the power of the hashtag is real. And for those skeptics out there, Instagram’s new algorithm made it very clear. While Instagram continues to accept only a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, the first reason why we should leverage the power of the hashtag in Instagram is this. We can follow specific hashtags, along with profiles. This means we can now keep tabs on relevant conversations by using hashtags alone. Which helps us maximize our reach, visibility and as a consequence, it also helps us increase our engagement.

What does this mean for marketers and businesses?

The ability to follow hashtags adds a whole new element to our strategy. Now, we have another way to reach and engage with new audiences by using targeted hashtags. This is also another way to expand our brand messaging by promoting our branded tags.

For example, while Instagram doesn’t (yet) show a listing of how many people are following a specific hashtag, it does show 1) the amount of posts using that specific hashtag; and 2) the list of hashtags each Instagram user follows. We can find this info listed on everyone’s profile, under the ‘Following’ tab.

check out the individuals we want to attract, going through their profiles and compiling a listing of relevant hashtags those users are following. Ideally, we will find some consistent tags among our target audience.

check the list of hashtags our role models and mentors follow and find a consistent denominator between our business practice and theirs.

To Increase Visibility we can:

follow specific hashtags that are in alignment with our business goals, values and services/products. Engage with the audience following the same hashtag in an effort to make meaningful relationships to support each other’s content.

search for influencers in our field and check their list of hashtags, find out what works for them and leverage that. There is no need to reinvent the wheel here, just pay close attention to those who are ahead of us to learn from their practices.

In order to increase our overall SEO, we need to make sure we use the same branded hashtags across platforms to help crawls align our content to specific search terms and keywords.

To help further optimize our hashtag strategy, Instagram also highlights related tags within its search options, along with usage volume.

The other consideration is, where we use our tags. There is a lot of back and forth on this topic, but the reality is that there is nothing conclusive on this. Which means that in terms of how many hashtags we should write on each publication, research suggests that 10 to 11 tags per post is the optimal number for maximizing reach. But again, there’s nothing definitive. So in my experience, our best bet is to research the hashtags being used by our target audience (not just the most popular ones) and then, test them within our own posts.

Instagram Stories has also grown at a rapid pace, doubling its audience from 150 million daily users in January last year, to 300 million in November – and far out-pacing the growth of Snapchat (178 million DAU), from which the function was essentially copied.

The latest Instagram update allowed Stories to become “Stories Archive” and “Highlights.” These new functions enable users to keep their Stories content indefinitely, and display them in a new section on their profile, maximizing their use.

The best use of this new tool is using “Highlights” to showcase specific Stories posts from events, related to products, highlighting customers, etc. Remembering, of course, to save the visual into our device, so it can be used on other platforms. Additionally, Instagram also added the ability to cross-post Instagram Stories to Facebook Stories and Messenger Day, as they now have been merged.

Facebook Stories and Messenger Day haven't proven as popular as Instagram Stories, but still, the increased exposure potential – appearing in a prime area, right at the top of people’s Facebook and Messenger apps – is definitely worth considering. Especially when we are showcasing new products/services or brand awareness through events.

5. Use Instagram Live

Added in late 2016, Instagram’s live feature has slowly evolved, and more new innovations and options have been added to make it more appealing. One of the more recent developments has been the addition of their ‘Live guests’ option, which enables us to go live with someone else – with a specific notification in the top line listing when this happens. Similar to what happens in Facebook lives.

That added exposure provides one best Instagram practice. It gives us new promotional opportunities, while the ability to have guests on our live-stream can also help ease the broadcasting process, making it less intimidating, and enabling us to add more context - be it through conducting an interview, a Q and A session, a product party, etc.

For instance, Q and A sessions, in particular, could be an interesting option for brands, due to its ‘Live Requests’ launched in November, enabling viewers to ask to join in on a stream. This is also a good feature for Network Marketing businesses, coaches and small business because it allows them to have small live events for giveaways, launches and special promotions.

Nevertheless, there are, of course, risks with live-streaming – it’s live, so our editorial capacity is limited. But given the prominent listing of Instagram Live broadcasts - both in user feeds and within Explore (where there’s a dedicated ‘Top Live’ Story pinned to the top of the page) – it’s a significant opportunity for exposure. Plus, when it is done on a computer, it is easier to have someone assisting us with comments while we talk live.

6. Integration of Direct Messages

This one’s a little more complex, but the numbers don’t lie. More people are interacting through direct messages – in messaging apps more broadly, but also on Instagram itself. According to Instagram, more than 375 million people now use Instagram DMs each month - almost half of their entire user base. The increased focus on DMs has lead to Instagram adding a range of new DM–specific tools, including their photo remix tools, the ability to share Stories via DM and - importantly for brands – and the capacity to include links in DMs.

This gives us the competitive advantage of connecting with our audience on a more personal level. For example, when someone follows us, we have the capability to send them an automotive DM thanking them for connecting and sharing with them information about our brand/services/products. Such as the link to our latest article in our blog, or a promotional campaign, or an effort we are sponsoring. But then again, this has to be done with a personal touch, not a salesy approach.​With these six best Instagram practices we will be able to direct more leads to our website, provide better customer support, improve our online reputation, and even convert followers into customers. But I want to hear from you now. Let me know if you have any other strategy to engage your community in Instagram.​

Social media platforms keep changing without previous notice and many who depend on these online communities for business are caught off guard. The fact that algorithms, web interface, designs and user experience of social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram keep changing generates uncomfortable set-backs to digital business users.

Algorithm changes are driven mostly to generate advertising revenue and for a better “user experience,” forcing us to update our online strategy to become relevant on searches and more visible to our target audience. For example Instagram’s latest algorithm updates are a lot like its parent company (Facebook) of 2 years ago.

Now you have personal and business profiles, both with different capabilities. Posts no longer show chronologically on individual users’ feeds; and, product’s prices can be disclosed on the picture.

Before, accounts had FREE access to incredible ROI per post. Pre-algorithm changes, the only investment one needed to make on Instagram was the time and nominal fee to create memorable visuals and copy for a caption.

So how do you feel about having to pay sponsored ads to increase your visibility on Instagram?

Well my dear reader, if you prefer investing your money wisely, where there is a will, there is a way. Have you heard about “Boost Groups” or “comment pods”? They have become very famous on Instagram as a community effort to increase posts’ visibility and brand awareness without having to invest on ads. There are many other names used by online users, but I am sticking to Boost Groups as it is easier for my clients to identify its real goal – which is to boost our online efforts helped by a supportive community.

Here’s how it works:

Identify 5–10 people within your community, niche, network or tribe. Are you a small business owner, a lifestyle photographer, a jewelry maker, a Fashion blogger? Whatever you do for fun or for living you most likely have a group of business BFFs who already support you. Maybe they’re other solopreneurs aligned with your values or they complement your aesthetic who normally visit your profiles. Identify them and approach them to create a support group to assist each other on a daily basis to increase likes, shares and comments. This will boost your organic SEO and overall brand visibility.

Direct Message them through the social media platform you choose them to work with you. Express your interest to form a Boost Group to organically help each other increase SEO and engagement on social media platforms. Sample message: “Hi there! I am creating a Boost Group with people in my network/tribe/community/niche to help each other organically increase our brand visibility, SEO and engagement. It consist on posting on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/Snapchat/(pick one) on a daily/weekly basis, then go to my profile and like, share and leave a comment of at least three words. To keep track of our actions, come back to our group message and post a heart or happy face– which means your task is completed in your profile and in all the group members’ posts. It’s simple, it’s just a matter of having integrity and continuity; and, the benefits are incredible!” Another way to approach this could be in Instagram creating a group sending the following “Hey, y’all! This here is a boost group. Any time you post and need a like + comment, click the little heart in the lower right corner. No need to type a message or anything. That’s our boost signal for us to go to your page and give a little love. Do you want to join the group effort! It will help us all increase visibility and engagement without having to invest on ads! Who is in?!”

Be polite. Check in with whoever you approach to join your Boost Group and see who’s interested in working together to beat the algorithm change before including them to your Boost Group. It’s not for everyone. If you agree to join or create a boost group, lead by example and follow your own suggestions with integrity. Post, like and comment periodically, so others will feel motivated and active. Don’t just power like. That’s ~fine~ but to truly boost a post, a comment and share are necessary.

Tap the heart and watch the love roll in and give yourself the equivalent of a hug or high-five. You’ve just built a self-sustaining community!!

Add people as you see fit. Encourage others to do the same. Consider making a second, more specific group. You can have as many Boost Groups as you want; and, in as many social media platforms as your brands are. Want a virtual TIP? participants with a higher amount of followers give you better ROI, because their likes, comments and shares will be visible to a broader audience, increasing your post’s SEO significantly more than users with low follow base.

I used to have multiple Boost Groups in Twitter and Instagram when I was regularly active. I even had boost buddies I’ve never met in person from all around the world. It was super fun! I am now about to start two in Facebook and Instagram among friends and business owners. If you want to belong to a Boost Group, let’s create one together or contact me to join mine!

Boost Groups won’t help in the long run if you’re not sharing quality content that’s always in alignment with your values or complementing your brand aesthetic. When used in conjunction with other best practices, Boost Groups are a lifesaver. Check out my Instagram accounts (@AlmuCorazon and @CurvySocial) and Facebook pages (Simple&Social and Spanish Flavor) to get an idea of who I am. Follow/Like me and subscribe to my SimpleandSocial membership to learn additional business tips. I host workshops for small business owners to learn how to harness the power of digital media to increase results while minimizing costs.

Bonus: Collaborations may result.

Check out my Instagram account and peep that engagement. At a mere 1,052 followers, I’m nowhere near influencer status in Instagram. Though one of my latest posts received 164 likes, which is close to 16%of my total follower amount. In social media land, that’s a heckuva lot. In any general marketing formula, that conversion rate is huge!

This article is written with the intention to help those of us who utilize Instagram for B2C or B2B goals. The latest algorithm updates are a boon that ensures the regular Instagram user sees posts that are likely of interest to you based on your mobile searches, as opposed to any shared post from the people you follow in your community.

What do you think about algorithm updates and about this article? Share your questions or comments about Boost Groups and I’ll be sure to respond. Thanks for reading!

There are subtle patterns of life that go unnoticed, and which defy our normal perceptions of logic, cause and effect, and space and time. Understanding these hidden patterns not only enables us to see the world in a different way, but gives us the insight to perceive the truths that are unfolding in the atmosphere around us. From that poise, we can know the true truth of the reality unfolding around us, giving us one leg up on the world so that we can make the right decisions that invariably will lead to infinitely successful results. In other words, perceiving the subtle workings of life can lead to great accomplishment, success, and happiness in life.

We all follow patterns in our day-to-day basis. Either knowingly so, or unconsciously done, we not only follow them, but also are formed by them. For example,​

Do you find yourself failing to reach completion even on things you REALLY want to do?

Do you keep adding new things to your endless ‘To Do’ list?

When you do public speaking appearances, does your body always react a certain way?

Do you normally procrastinate on things you don’t find attractive or interesting?

Have you been writing a book/blog/thesis ‘forever’ but never seem to move forward?

Do you have a nagging feeling that time is ‘running out’?

Do you have challenges to save money?

By replying to these questions you will start to notice certain patterns attached to specific circumstances. These are patterned systems of patterns, evolving over time, that can play in our favor the more aware we become of them.

First and foremost, don’t stress out, everyone experiences the feeling of being overwhelmed from time to time; but, the key here is to detect when this feeling turns into a chronic life pattern, because that’s when you want to look for a deeper reason than surface-level excuses.

Let’s begin with a fundamental aspect of life that can happen to us at any given age. For most of us, if we failed to meet a deadline, payment, getting somewhere on time, honoring our word, or meeting any given goal and we were shamed for this—by parents, teachers, bosses, clients, friends, or any specific community—we were most likely labeled as undisciplined, unreliable, lazy, inconsiderate, “no sense of time”, ‘bad’. These accusations hurt causing us to feel guilty for disappointing someone important. As this happened again and again we took these labels on as our own causing us to believe we are a disappointment, undisciplined, lazy, disorganized, no sense of time (which in our mind can be translated or manifested as a believe of “there is/was not enough time, there were not enough resources, I can’t do it by myself,” and so on.)

Today, those beliefs and the underlying guilt are beliefs that we have made contracts around so they MUST play out in our life. To prove that our belief is correct and that we are disorganized—we act disorganized; because we believe that we are lazy, we let things slide and beat ourselves up about it. Think about it. If we are always under the belief that there is not enough time, we unconsciously create monumental projects and keep the To Do list overflowing – just to prove that we and others are right! This is the definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So… I am sure you are asking yourself… “what can we do about it?” There are many things we can work on from cognitive psychology to systemic management. Because when we let go of the guilt from our most painful memories and open space for trust, resources and know-hows to flow in our life/work we also make space to change our beliefs. The systemic, personal and organizational, management sessions I offer bring to light these patterns within a context of a subjective and experimental experience. So that when we are clear on our patterns and believes, we can create new beliefs, such as, “Time is not a constraint for me”, or “Time can play in my favor” and then go about proving THIS belief as true for ourselves. Find here a discount I am offering for the entire month of June!